NEWS BY THOSE WHO LIVE IT
Poor quality drains built in Bihar despite ample funds
The open sewage line in this village of Bihar has started disintegrating even before its construction is completed. The contractor has been cutting costs, using sub-standard cement and used bricks, and overlooking the set meaasurements according to the guidlines of the local administration. “The molding for the gutter was supposed...
Corrupt Village Head demands bribes to release sanitation incentives
It has been a long wait for the residents of Ahimchak village of Katihar district in Bihar who had been looking forward to their incentives to start building their toilets. The Indian Government used to provide an incentive of Rs 10,000 (currently raised to 15,000), in installments, for each toilet...
Bihar’s MNREGA practises gender pay gap
While gender pay gap is blatantly present across the world, India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGA) was one scheme meant to ensure that all its participants are paid equally. The scheme also aims to bring women into the labour force, 1/3rd of the jobs are reserved for women. However,...
Lack of proper abortion facilities force women to run from pillar to post
Women seeking abortions in a remote village in India are turned away from the state-run health facilities due to a lack of infrastructure and are forced to approach private practitioners. Last year, 24- year old Masahun Khatun was 5 months pregnant when she fell in the front yard of her...
Are safe pregnancies and childbirth in rural India a luxury?
One woman dies every ten minutes due to pregnancy related complications in India. Although the government has put in place schemes to ensure that every woman has access to healthcare during and after pregnancy, ground reports produced by Video Volunteers reveal that access to prenatal and postnatal care, nutrition and...
One woman’s harrowing experience of giving birth at a state-run health facility
A 24-year old woman in labour was kept waiting for the doctor for 6 hours. The doctor on duty did not turn up and she delivered in the presence of a nurse. She was forced to pay INR 400 for her delivery and even, to use the toilet. She neither...
You can’t Deliver Your Baby Here, The Roof May Collapse Any Moment
Crumbling infrastructure at a state-run health facility keeps pregnant women from availing healthcare services here. With a roof that leaks during the monsoon and no functional toilets, both frontline health workers and patients find it difficult to use. Bharti Kumari Reports from Telmocho village, Dhanbad district, Jharkhand This series on...